Blog & media

Explainer: what’s up with Forfar Street?

The closure of Forfar Street on the north side of the Forfar/Warrington intersection is one of a suite of changes made by the Council as part of the Downstream Effects Management Plan (DEMP). The DEMP is a programme of work intended to identify and address downstream effects of.the Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC). You can read more about the DEMP decision-making process in my previous article.

A consequence of Forfar’s closure is that local traffic is left with fewer options to move through that area, impacting other streets, especially adjacent Francis Avenue. Is this unreasonable? If the Council re-opened Forfar Street would it make life better for locals? Questions over the continued closure of Forfar Street come up from time to time, and in April 2026 Council staff provided the following information on the matter:

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Simon’s May 2025 newsletter: Council campaign announcement

My May 2025 newsletter covers my Papanui Council campaign announcement, as well as latest news from our Community Board and a few updates from me.

If you’d like to follow my campaign for Council or otherwise stay in touch with what’s happening locally and for me personally, click through to read more. You can also subscribe to receive future editions by email and in the Substack app: simonbritten.substack.com

Safer speeds? What’s happening to speed limits in Papanui?

Update March 2025: the information in the article below was correct at the time of publication (October 2023). The change of central Government that occurred shortly after publication has had a significant impact on the City Council’s speed programme. Specifically, the changes approved for Papanui and Redwood in July 2023 have never been implemented, and the Safer Speed Plan is no longer being considered (see the Council website for details).

October 2023: Speed limits on some Papanui streets were reduced earlier this year, further speed reductions have been approved already and will be implemented soon, and at the time of writing there’s consultation open on a further round of proposed changes. Read on for a recap of what’s already been implemented, and what changes are now on the table.

Lower speed limits: live-saving? Or an excessive extension of travel time?

Simon Kingham is the Chief Science Advisor to the Ministry of Transport and is a Professor of Human Geography at Canterbury University. In an article published on the University’s website he explains the lower risk of injury or death when a person is hit by a slower-moving vehicle, and how greenhouse gas and nitrogen dioxide emissions are reduced at lower speeds.

Continue reading “Safer speeds? What’s happening to speed limits in Papanui?”

Christchurch’s cycleway programme to be scrapped?

The Press today has revealed that future cycleway funding has been removed from a draft of the Long Term Plan – the Council’s 10-year budget. Projects proposed to be axed include the already-consulted and approved Wheels to Wings – Papanui ki Waiwhetū cycleway along Harewood Road, as well as tens of millions of dollars of ‘local connections’ projects to better connect communities with already build cycleways.

Continue reading “Christchurch’s cycleway programme to be scrapped?”

Simon’s August 2023 newsletter: Council apologises to our Board, approves cycleway

Council apology to our Community Board

In my last newsletter I noted my disappointment that no apology has been forthcoming from the elected Council for making decisions in March that were the Board’s responsibility to make, in relation to changes associated with the Rolleston Ave / Park Tce cycleway. Just days later, in an open meeting, the Council noted “…that pursuant to the decision-making authority delegated to Community Boards, the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board should have considered the Parking Changes on Gloucester Street & Hereford Street report than was inadvertently heard by Council at its 14 March 2023 meeting, and that Council apologise for the error”. I thank the Council for this and consider the matter closed.

For more Council & Community Board news, and updates from me, read the full August 2023 newsletter on Substack: simonbritten.substack.com